


Mexican Mayhem

by BlackHunter666



Category: Scarecrow Series - Matthew Reilly
Genre: Cooking Competition, Gen, Unconventional Combat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:41:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27163328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackHunter666/pseuds/BlackHunter666
Summary: Every job comes with a unique set of challenges to overcome.This time, Aloysius and Rufus can't rely on their firepower to get their target. Instead, they have to demonstrate their culinary skills.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1





	Mexican Mayhem

'This has got to be the dumbest idea you've ever had.' Rufus mumbled as he sorted through the box in front of him.

'It's not like you had any better ideas. We're running out of time, we've got to get this done today.' Aloysius replied as he rearranged the second box in the back of their SUV.

'And this is the only way to get at him? Come on, we're better than this.'

'Between his security, paranoia and general hermit behaviours, he's a pain in the ass to get at. Why do you think he's worth this much?'

'Yet here he is at this event, ripe for the taking. Seems too easy.'

'He doesn't expect trouble in his own compound. Remember, he's sponsoring this thing because it's some important anniversary for his country.'

'Their Independence Day, you knucklehead.' Rufus chuckled and closed his supply box. 'I just hope we can scrape this together.'

'You said you were feeling confident about this buddy.'

'I said I felt good about the recipe. I've never cooked genuine Mexican food before. Even Maria wasn't sure we'd be able to make this work on the fly.'

'We're just gonna have to wing this then. One way or another, it's got to work out.'

'I just love your confidence in this harebrained scheme. This is not how I planned on testing out the new body armour you picked out.' Rufus groaned and lifted his storage box. 'C'mon, might as well get started.'

Locking the car and picking up the second tub, Aloysius obediently followed Rufus through the crowd towards the marshalling area. Since his face was so well known in a lot of circles, Aloysius kept his head down and hid behind a wide-brimmed hat so no one noticed him. Rufus had no trouble convincing the staff that everything was above board and their cargo was within the rules.

Accepting their competition IDs, they headed through to join the rest of the competitors on the grassy area in front of a large, grand home. Arranged in a neat grid, 25 small campfires crackled merrily in metal drums. Near each fire were two prep tables under a small canopy, and a third table loaded with all the equipment that the competitors might need for the day.

Finding their place, Rufus hoisted the larger box up onto the table farthest from the fire and looked around. Most of their competitors were already in place, waiting for the signal to start. All eyes were on the house, watching for the sponsor of the event to make his appearance.

'Fuck, I didn't realise this would be so public. That's gonna make it tougher.' Aloysius groaned as he set the other box on the table.

'Let's just hope he decides to take a walk and investigate the various teams.' Rufus shrugged and tried to relax. 'Keep your eyes peeled for any easy chances though.'

'Somehow I doubt we'll get anything easy in here.' Aloysius muttered as he looked around.

Noticing that the last competition team was in place, Aloysius swallowed heavily when he also spotted the staff closing a set of heavy gates to block the path back towards the car park. That severely restricted their escape options if shit went south.

'Oh hell…this is gonna be tight. Only exit is now over the border fence.' He warned quietly.

'Good thing we partly planned for that.' Rufus nodded and shrugged. 'Whatever happens, we did our best here.'

Appearing on the terrace above the competition field, their target looked across the grounds as he leaned on the heavy stone balustrade. Giving absolutely no hints as to just how much of an ass he actually was, he smiled and warmly greeted the competitors and laid out the rules of the competition.

It was simple really. The teams had three hours to produce a dish that highlighted Mexican cuisine. Each dish would be tasted by a panel consisting of himself and two diplomats from Mexico. The winning team would be the pair that created a truly superb dish that was unique and a delight to the tastebuds. The prize - an all expenses trip through Mexico, highlighting all the main cultural features the country had to offer.

With that said, a horn sounded to signal the start of the competition.

Opening their boxes, the pair started setting out ingredients in a precise arrangement. They'd practised this several times under Maria's watchful eye. These tables were smaller than her kitchen though, so they would have to think ahead while preparing and cooking the meal.

Flowing with the same rhythm that had gotten them through so much already, they moved around the outdoor kitchen set up with barely a word spoken between them. Grabbing two of the provided pans, Aloysius moved to the fire and started working on settling the crackling flames into a gentler heat. Dragging some of the hottest coals to one side of the pit, he set the larger pan to heat so they could make a start on their base flavours.

Setting out piles of the finest vegetables available, Rufus started working on a sofrito base, cutting the various ingredients into different sizes so the sauce would have flavour and texture to rival anything a trained chef could make. Even Maria had been impressed by what Rufus could create with just a little freedom in her kitchen. She'd called him a naturally instinctive cook.

Adding the vegetables to a large bowl, he seasoned and spiced them carefully before handing it to Aloysius to start frying once the pan was ready. Everything had to be timed right; they'd created a dish that would take most of the time to cook to succulent perfection. The plating would be easy, a few minutes to arrange it before presentation. Nothing to stress about.

Making it seem totally natural, Aloysius pulled on a pair of disposable gloves before adding the vegetables into the hot pan. Partly he was trying to hide his identity, but mostly, the gloves were protection for him when he moved the plan into phase 2. Whistling a merry little tune, he stirred the sizzling vegetables and glanced around to track the roving guards.

Rather than just one meat, Rufus picked out a mix of beef and lamb chunks, already marinated and ready for the pot. He was banking on the secret recipe to give the meat a truly unique flavour that couldn't be matched by anyone else. There was nothing in the rules saying they couldn't pre-prepare ingredients so he wasn't too worried about being disqualified for marinated meats.

Still crouched by the fire, Aloysius watched as the panel of judges came down the stone stairs and approached the competition grounds. Touching one of his pockets briefly, he returned his attention to the sizzling vegetables, stirring them around and adding the softer vegetables to the mixture.

'Any ideas yet?' Rufus asked as he crouched beside the fire.

'One or two; nothing solid though.' Aloysius replied without looking up from the pan.

'We need another option. I don't think we can out cook some of these people.'

'I've got an option, I just need an opening. We're gold if we can get the prick on his own.'

'You'd better hope that works. Otherwise we'll just have to bludgeon him with a frying pan.'

'What happened to subtle?' Aloysius asked in alarm. The whole point was not being noticed.

'What happened to this guy dies today?'

Rocking to his feet again, Rufus turned his attention to the rest of the dish he'd been practising. Pulling out more ingredients, he started working up a dough and smiled as Aloysius grabbed another pan from the stack and returned to tending the fire. There was a twisted part of him that wondered if it would be more effective to hit the bastard with a hot pan instead of a cold one.

Shelving that idea as a last resort, he continued working his dough until it felt soft and pliable under his worn hands. Setting that aside to rest, he checked the meat was almost ready and glanced towards the fire. Judging by the way Aloysius was working the vegetables, it was still a little too hot to throw the meat into the pan.

Keeping watch from under his hat, Aloysius barely managed to hide his smirk when the judges split up and started wandering among the competitors, asking questions and examining the dishes under construction. By chance, or maybe a little luck, their target was moving along their section, leaving his guards behind at the stairs so he could mingle freely.

Maintaining his calm, he reached into one pocket to grab a small baggie filled with a clear liquid. Barely bigger than a quarter, it easily disappeared into his palm as he rocked to his feet and stretched before wandering over to check on the rest of the food.

'The spoon or the food?' he asked in a whisper, lips barely moving as he spoke.

'Better dose both, just to be certain.' Rufus replied quickly. 'Make it fast, he's coming this way.'

'This only takes a second.' Aloysius grinned as he grabbed one of the seasoning shakers on the table and returned to the fire.

Breaking the seal on the bag, he used the seasoning shaker as a distraction as he poured the clear liquid into the vegetables. Tossing the baggie into the fire, he added a little more seasoning and mixed the potent concoction in carefully. Now it was only a matter of time. Shifting into a more comfortable crouch, he again looked for the guards and their target, tracking their movements and establishing the patrol routes.

Keeping his focus on the food in front of him, Rufus also watched the guards out the corner of his eye, considering each one and sorting out the biggest threats. If it came down to a fight, he was reasonably sure he could take out the closest two and get a couple of weapons before the rest of the guards were on them.

Fighting the natural instinct to tense up as their target approached his workspace; Rufus slapped on a smile and answered his questions to the best of his ability. Thankfully most of the conversation was in English, so it was relatively easy for him to still keep preparing the meal as he discussed his dish.

Rocking to his feet, Aloysius politely asked if the older man wanted to taste the dish as it was, before it went down for a long braise. He graciously accepted the offer, and the silver spoon Aloysius held out to him. Grabbing a pair of protective gloves, he lifted the sizzling pan so their target wouldn't have to crouch and potentially get his suit dirty.

Stirring the pan for a moment, he took a sample from near the middle and praised the intricate mix of flavours he could taste. The spice levels were perfect as far as he was concerned and the herbaceous notes filled it out so nicely. He could already taste some of the meatiness too, giving a hint of the wonders to come towards the end of the cooking time.

Explaining some of the other elements that would form part of the dish, Rufus jumped a little when the guy stumbled and caught himself against the worktable. That got everyone's attention. Some of the guards started approaching as another ran towards the stairs, probably to get help.

Jumping back when the guy stumbled and dropped to his knees, Aloysius accidentally dumped their pan into the fire as he jumped back to avoid being knocked over.

Now everyone was outright staring, their competitors whispering as the guards drew ever closer. Most of the guards were on edge, weapons coming up as they approached cautiously.

Looking up as their target collapsed fully to the grass, Aloysius nodded faintly and dropped the pan. Spinning on his toes, he broke into a flat sprint towards the far side of the competition terrace.

Only seconds behind him, Rufus abandoned the knife in his hand and took off running hard. He hadn't been expecting the asshole to die quite that fast. Hunching over as he ran, he ducked and weaved as the brightest of the guards opened fire and everyone else started screaming as all hell broke loose.

Cursing the fact he'd been forced to leave all his weaponry behind for this job, Aloysius poured on the speed as he approached the boundary wall at the edge of the terrace. On this side it was quite low, but on the other side, it was eight feet down to the next level. Snapping left to throw their aim off, he vaulted over the wall and dropped out of view.

Flying over an upturned table, Rufus snatched up a knife from the ground and spun, throwing it blindly towards one of the gunmen before resuming his sprint for the wall. One last burst of speed, half-deafened by the rattle of gunfire and he jumped.

Landing with a muffled cry, he heaved to his feet and continued running even as he looked back over his shoulder. So far the guards hadn't reached the wall, giving them time to pull this off.

Ahead, Aloysius was already stripping off his jacket as he ran, rolling the fabric and knotting it firmly around his waist. Twisting and pushing through the wild growth down here beyond the perimeter, he charged ever onwards towards their escape route.

Crashing through the wilderness, Rufus removed his own jacket and tied it off around his waist as best he could in the current situation. Lungs screaming for air, he pounded across the looser gravel now appearing through the scrub and summoned a faint smile. They were going to make it.

Reaching the edge of the cliffs, Aloysius didn't even pause, launching off into the open air with confidence. Waiting a few seconds, he pulled the handle attached to his left shoulder and grunted as the slimline parachute unfurled and pulled him up on a thermal. Grabbing the controls, he angled his flight out towards open water and the boat waiting for them.

Feeling a brief pang of terror as he soared out into the open air, Rufus pulled his chute and barely held back a cry of pain when the jolt broke through his adrenaline rush. Reaching for the controls, he noticed the blood oozing across his wrist and swore. That certainly explained why he was feeling a little dizzy.

Riding the breeze down steading, Aloysius looked back towards the perimeter wall and laughed. He could just make out some of the guards standing there, probably stunned by their antics. After all, it wasn't every day that they got to see a couple cooks take a flying dive off a cliff and soar away.

Spiralling lower gradually, they drifted with the breezes until reaching their waiting vessel. Sailing out of Nassau, it looked just like every other small pleasure craft hanging around the crystal blue waters. Even if those guards had a team on the water, they'd never find the right boat amongst all the holiday makers.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Reclining on the deck as the Rising Dawn sailed along, Aloysius whistled happy as he relaxed. Word had already reached their client about the scene at the competition and they had been gracious enough to pay even before word officially broke about the death.

'Next time you come up with a brilliant idea, remind me to kick your ass.' Rufus grumbled from another sunlounge.

'Oh come on, it was fun. Admit it; you were enjoying yourself until we had to book it.' Aloysius chuckled and rolled over to warm his back.

'Well yeah, that bit was kinda fun. But this wasn't part of any plan we discussed.' Rufus shot back as he indicated the fresh cast around his right wrist.

'Yeah okay, that wasn't part of the plan.' Aloysius agreed. 'I'm sorry about that; I didn't expect either of us would get hurt.'

While going over the wall, Rufus had either caught a ricochet or some stone frag in his wrist, shattering the tips of the radius and ulna on the way through. Thankfully the soft tissue damage wasn't as severe as it could have been.

'Name me a job where one of us didn't end up bleeding? This is a small price to pay for putting down another drug boss. I just hope you're willing to put up with me now that I can't fly for eight weeks or more.'

'You know that's not a big sacrifice on my part. We'll go home, tell Maria how things went and just relax for a few months.'

'Now that sounds like a perfect end to this one. But just out of curiosity, what'd you put in the dish?'

'Batrachotoxin, from the poison dart frog. Fast and no known antidote.' Aloysius admitted with a grin. 'We had to be sure he died.'

'Well shit, no wonder he keeled over so fast. Nice one Boss.'

Falling quiet, the pair drifted into their own thoughts. Neither felt any remorse over the job. They had simply exterminated another drug smuggler who was seeking to hurt American kids. No reason to feel bad about his death.


End file.
